Air conditioner

ABSTRACT

An air conditioner having an outside unit that includes an electric chamber in which an electric part is provided and a case having a heat exchange chamber which is provided in one side of the electric chamber and includes a heat exchanger, wherein the electric part includes a plurality of electric components, an electric panel in which the plurality of electric components are provided, and a terminal block provided on one side of the electric panel and including a terminal part.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 and 35U.S.C. §365 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0182060 (filed onDec. 18, 2015) and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0182083 (filedon Dec. 18, 2015), which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

An air conditioner is disclosed herein.

2. Background

An air conditioner is a home appliance which maintains inside air in anoptimal state according to intended uses and purposes thereof. The airconditioner may include an inside unit and an outside unit. The airconditioner may be a separated type air conditioner in which an insideunit and an outside unit are separated from each other, and anintegrated type air conditioner in which the inside unit and the outsideunit are integrated in one unit.

The air conditioner drives a refrigeration cycle. Devices which drivethe refrigeration cycle generally include a compressor to compress arefrigerant, a condenser to condense the compressed refrigerant, anexpander to expand the refrigerant passing through the condenser, and anevaporator to evaporate the refrigerant passing through the expander.

The outside unit and the inside unit of the separated type airconditioner are configured separately. The flow of refrigerant in thepipe connecting the outside and inside units together decreases as thedistance between the outside and inside units increases. Thus, havingthe outside unit and the inside unit located adjacent to each other isadvantageous for purposes of cooling efficiency and cost.

For example, a high-rise building such as an apartment or officebuilding, may have an outside unit provided on a space such as a balcony(hereinafter, referred to as an “outside unit installation space”), sothat the outside unit may be disposed adjacent to the inside unit. Moreparticularly, an outlet unit provided in the outside unit may bearranged to face an exhaust port such as a window of the balcony. Theoutlet unit may be disposed at a front surface part of the outside unit.Thus, air discharged through the outlet unit may be directly dischargedto the outside. A display unit showing an operational state of the airconditioner may be provided in the front surface part of the outsideunit.

Such conventional configuration provides a narrow space between thefront surface part of the outside unit and a window of the balcony for auser to work or operate, which is problematic. Moreover, the displayunit may be shielded by a panel that forms an exterior of the frontsurface part of the outside unit. Accordingly, the panel must beseparated for a user to determine or read the display unit, which isproblematic given space constraints.

Moreover, when the air conditioner is installed in the outside unitinstallation space, air discharged from the front surface part may bere-introduced into the inside of the outside unit. In order to avoidthis phenomenon, a guide member which is limiting the discharged airfrom flowing to a suction side of the outside unit may be installed inthe panel of the outside unit.

When it comes to the outside unit in which such a guide member isinstalled, in order to confirm the display unit, the guide member shouldbe dismantled first and then the panel should be separated, andtherefore the efficiency of work is lowered.

In addition, when the outside unit is installed on an outer wall of abuilding, there is a problem that an operator cannot substantiallyseparate the panel of the outside unit installed on the outer wall.

Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-010127, titled “Multi AirConditioning Systems,” which is incorporated herein by reference,discloses a conventional method and configuration of a multi airconditioning system. In particular, the reference discloses an airconditioner having a connection port and a communication interface tocontrol the state and operation of the air conditioner. However, inorder to connect the connection port to the outside unit, the panel ofthe outside unit must be removed first. Such configuration isproblematic in that it is difficult for a user to confirm the operationstate of the outside unit easily because the user must operate in anarrow space between the front surface part of the outside unit and, forexample, a window of the balcony.

A conventional separated type air conditioner may further include apower cable to provide power to the outside unit and the inside unit.Specifically, the power cable may include an inside side power cableconnected to the inside unit and an outside side power cable connectedto the outside unit. At least a portion of the inside side power cableand the outside side power cable may be positioned inside of the outsideunit. Additionally, the conventional separated type air conditioner mayinclude a signal cable to transmit a control signal to the outside unitand inside unit. Specifically, the signal cable may include an insideside signal cable connected to the inside unit and an outside sidesignal cable connected to the outside unit. At least a portion of theoutside and inside signal cable may be positioned in the inside of theoutside unit. Such configurations are problematic in that because aplurality of cables are located within the outside unit, there is anincreased risk that the cables will become intertwined and eitherdisconnect or short-circuit.

To prevent such problems, the air conditioner may include a cableextended to the outside unit from outside and a terminal block foraccessing the cable positioned inside the outside unit. For example, acable extended to the outside unit from the outside may be connected toone side of the terminal block and a cable located inside the outsideunit may be connected to the other side of the terminal block. However,such configuration is problematic.

For example, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2003-0024914, titled “TheOutdoor Unit Controller Of An Air Conditioner,” which is incorporatedherein by reference, discloses a conventional method and configurationof an outside unit controller of an air conditioner. In particular, thereference discloses a multistage terminal block configuration having apower cable and a signal cable that are attached at different ends ofthe terminal block. Although this configuration may reduce the risk ofshort-circuit between the cables because it requires an additionalelectric panel for attaching the terminal block, there is an increasedrisk of interference between the added extra electric panel and anelectric part and/or an increased risk that the cable is separated fromthe terminal block. Moreover, the additional electric panel may blockair flow that would otherwise cool the electric part.

In view of the foregoing, a structure for preventing entanglementbetween a plurality of cables, preventing interference with a pluralityof electric components, and not disturbing the flow of air which isflowing in the electric part is required.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to an improved configuration for anair conditioner having an inside unit and an outside unit.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided anoutside unit of an air conditioner including an electric part comprisinga display device, and a case including a heat exchange chamber providedat a side of the electric part and in which a heat exchanger isprovided, a front surface part having an outlet port, a side surfacepart provided at both sides of the front surface part, and an uppersurface part provided at an upper side of the front surface part,wherein the side surface part includes an inspection window having anopening to provide access to the display device, and a service coverattached to the inspection window to selectively cover the displaydevice.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is providedan outside unit of an air conditioner including a case having anelectric chamber in which an electric part in provided and a heatexchange chamber in which a heat exchanger is provided, wherein theelectric part includes an electric panel at which an electric componentis provided, a terminal block provided at one side of the electricpanel, the terminal block having a first terminal part and a secondterminal part, a first cable connected to the first terminal part andproviding power or a signal to the electric component, a second cableextended from outside of the outside unit and connected to the secondterminal part, and a fixing member that is spaced apart from theterminal block and supports the second cable, wherein the electric panelincludes an installation part at which the electric component isprovided, and an opening part provided at a side of the installationpart and attached to the terminal block.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent fromthe description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outside unit of an air conditioneraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a flow of a refrigerant and aconfiguration of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the outside unit of the air conditioneraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating a state in which an upper surfacepanel is removed from the outside unit of the air conditioner accordingto the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view illustrating an electronic componentpart of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the electronic component part ofthe air conditioner according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a display device of an air conditioneraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a terminal block of the air conditioneraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view illustrating a state in which theterminal block of the air conditioner is attached to the electric panelaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which theterminal block of the air conditioner is attached to the electric panelaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the servicecover of the air conditioner is separated according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a state in which the service cover isattached to the service panel of the air conditioner according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a fastened structure ofthe service panel and the service cover of the air conditioner accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. It is understood that the description herein is not intendedto limit the claims to the specific embodiments described. On thecontrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, andequivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outside unit of an air conditioneraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is aperspective view illustrating a flow of a refrigerant and aconfiguration of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the outside unit ofthe air conditioner according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, and FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating a state in which anupper surface panel is removed from the outside unit of the airconditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, an air conditioner includes an outsideunit 10 which exchanges heat with outside air, and an inside unit (notshown) which is provided at an inside space to condition inside air.

The outside unit 10 may include a case which forms an exterior of theoutside unit 10 and in which a plurality of components may be provided.The case may include a front panel 11 which forms a front surface of theoutside unit 10. The front panel 11 may include an outlet port 11A. Thefront panel 11 may be arranged to face a window and an outer wall (e.g.,a wall proximate an outside space) of a space in which the outside unitis installed. That is, the front panel 11 may be installed so that theoutlet port 11A faces an exhaust port, such as a window.

In addition, the case further includes at least one of a rear panel 12,which is spaced apart and rearward from the front panel 11, and an uppersurface panel 13 that forms an upper surface of the outside unit. Therear panel 12 may include a first suction port 12A.

In addition, the case may include side surface panels 14 and 15configuring both side surfaces of the outside unit (e.g., right and leftside surfaces). The side surface panel includes a left side surfacepanel 14 in which a second suction port 14A is provided, and a rightside surface panel 15 in which a third suction port 15A is provided.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the front panel 11may be referred to as a “front surface part” of the case, the rear panel12 may be referred to as a “rear surface part” of the case, and the bothside surface panels 14 and 15 may be referred to as “both side surfacepart” of the case.

The outside unit 10 may include an internal space (e.g., cavity)surrounded by the case. A compressor or the like may be provided insidethe internal space.

The case of the outside unit 10 may include the suction ports 12A, 14A,and 15A through which the outside air is suctioned. The case of theoutside unit 10 may further include an outlet port 11A through which thesuctioned air is discharged. The outlet port 11A may be formed at afront surface of the outside unit 10, and the suction ports 12A, 14A and15A may be formed at a rear and/or a side surface of the case. Morespecifically, the outlet port 11A may be formed at the front panel 11,and the suction ports 12A, 14A and 15A may be located on at least one ofthe rear panel 12, the left side panel 14, and the right side panel 15.

The outside unit 10 may further include a service panel 100. The servicepanel 100 may be formed to be rounded from the front surface of theoutside unit toward one side surface thereof. For example, the servicepanel 100 may be formed to be rounded from the front surface of theoutside unit toward a right side surface thereof. One end of the servicepanel 100 may be attached to a right end of the front panel 11, and theother end of the service panel 100 may be attached to a front end of theright side panel 15. The service panel 100 may open and close both ofthe front and the side with a single panel, making it easier for aninstaller or manager to access an electronic chamber.

The outside unit 10 may further include a base 17 which forms a lowersurface of the outside unit 10. The compressor or the like may beinstalled on an upper surface of the base 17. A lower surface of thebase 17 may be in contact with a ground surface (e.g., floor), and thusthe outside unit 10 may be fixed to the ground.

The outside unit 10 may include a partition wall 18 which extends upwardfrom the base 17 and divides the internal space into at least a heatexchange chamber 50 and an electric chamber 60. The partition wall 18may prevent water in the heat exchange chamber 50 from permeating intothe electric chamber 60.

Here, the heat exchange chamber 50 is a space where a heat exchanger 24and a fan 32 may be provided, and in which heat may be exchanged betweena refrigerant passing through the heat exchanger 24 and external airflowing by the fan 32. The electric chamber 60 is a space where anelectric part 70 may be provided. The electric part 70 may be providedat an upper portion of the electric chamber 60 so that water does notpermeate the electric part 70.

The partition wall 18 is a plate which extends vertically. One end ofthe partition wall 18 may be attached to the upper surface of the base17, and the other end may be attached to a first electric panel 80. Thepartition wall 18 may include a curved surface which is formed to berounded. The partition wall 18 may have a curved surface correspondingto a configuration which is provided at the electric part 70.

At least one of a compressor 21, an oil separator 22, a flow switchingpart 23, an outside heat exchanger 24, an expansion valve 35, agas-liquid separator 25 and a plurality of refrigerant pipes 26 may beprovided inside the outside unit 10.

The outside unit 10 includes the compressor 21 which compresses therefrigerant and the oil separator 22 which is provided at an outlet sideof the compressor 21 to separate oil from the refrigerant dischargedfrom the compressor 21.

The flow switching part 23 which guides the refrigerant discharged fromthe compressor 21 toward the outside heat exchanger 24 or the insideunit (not shown) is provided at an outlet side of the oil separator 22.For example, the flow switching part 23 may include a 4-way valve.

The flow switching part 23 may be connected to a first connection pipe27 which is connected to the outside heat exchanger 24, a secondconnection pipe 28 which is connected to the gas-liquid separator 25,and a third connection pipe 29 which is connected to the inside unit(not shown).

When the air conditioner performs a cooling operation, the refrigerantis introduced from the flow switching part 23 into the outside heatexchanger 24 through the first connection pipe 27. However, when the airconditioner performs a warming operation, the refrigerant is introducedfrom the flow switching part 23 into an inside heat exchanger of theinside unit (not shown) through the third connection pipe 29.

In the outside heat exchanger 24, heat is exchanged between the externalair and the refrigerant, and the outside heat exchanger 24 serves as thecondenser when the air conditioner performs the cooling operation, andalso serves as the evaporator when the air conditioner performs thewarming operation.

When the air conditioner performs the cooling operation, the refrigerantpassed through the outside heat exchanger 24 passes through an expansionvalve 35. That is, the expansion valve 35 may be provided at an outletside of the outside heat exchanger 24 based on the cooling operation.When the cooling operation is performed, the main expansion valve 35 iscompletely opened, and thus a decompressing action of the refrigerant isnot performed.

The refrigerant passed through the expansion valve 35 flows to theinside unit through an inside pipe 38, and the refrigerant evaporated inthe inside heat exchanger (not shown) is introduced into the outsideunit 10 through the inside pipe 38.

The refrigerant introduced into the inside unit is introduced into theflow switching part 23 through the third connection pipe 29, anddischarged from the flow switching part 23 through the second connectionpipe 28.

The refrigerant passed through the flow switching part 23 flows to thegas-liquid separator 25. The gas-liquid separator 25 may separate a gasrefrigerant before the refrigerant is introduced into the compressor 21,and the separated gas refrigerant may be introduced into the compressor21.

The outside unit 10 may further include a motor 31, the fan 32 and amotor bracket 33.

The motor 31 serves to provide a rotating force to the fan 32, and thefan 32 is attached to a rotating shaft of the motor 31, and thus enablesthe air to flow by the rotating force. The fan 32 is attached to themotor bracket 33, and the motor bracket 33 supports the motor 31 and thefan 32.

The fan 32 is located corresponding to the outlet port 11A provided atthe front panel 11, and the motor bracket 33 may be a structure formedbetween the base 17 and the upper surface panel 13. That is, one endthereof is attached to the upper surface of the base 17, and the otherend thereof is attached to a lower surface of the upper surface panel13, and the motor 31 attached to the front surface is locatedcorresponding to the outlet port 11A.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view illustrating the electronic componentpart of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure, and FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the electroniccomponent part of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the outside unit 10 includes a electric part70 controlling the air conditioner. For example, the electric part 70may include at least one of the electric components from a main PCB 71,the display device 72, an inverter PCB 73, a heat sink 75, a noisefilter 78 and a reactor 79.

In another example, the electric part 70 may include a terminal block200 accessed to a plurality of cables which is connected to the electricpart or a fixing member 300 fixing the cable.

Also, the electric part 70 may include a first electric panel 80 towhich the plurality of electric components are attached, and a secondelectric panel 90 which is spaced apart from the first electric panel80.

The first electric panel 80 may be located at an upper side of thepartition wall 18, and the partition wall 18 and the first electricpanel 80 may divide the heat exchange chamber 50 and the electricchamber 60.

The inverter PCB 73 may be attached to a front surface of the firstelectric panel 80, and the heat sink 75 may be attached to a rearsurface thereof. Here, the front surface is a surface which is adjacentto the electric chamber 60, and the rear surface is a surface which isadjacent to the heat exchange chamber 50.

Also, the inverter PCB 73 and the heat sink 75 may be attached topositions corresponding to each other based on the first electric panel80. Therefore, heat of the inverter PCB 73 may pass through the firstelectric panel 80, may be transferred to the heat sink 75, and then maybe discharged.

Also, the first electric panel 80 may include a suction part 85. Thesuction part 85 is located at an upper portion of the first electricpanel 80, and may be an opening which passes through the first electricpanel 80. For example, the suction part 85 may be located at an upperside further than the point to which an inverter PCB 73 is attached.

An air guide 86 may be located at a rear surface of the suction part 85,and the air in front surface of the suction part 85 may flow to theintroduction port of the air guide 86. The second electric panel 90includes at a front surface part 91 which faces the front panel 11.

The front surface part 91 may be disposed in parallel with the frontpanel 11 or the rear panel 12.

Also, the second electric panel 90 may further include side surfaceparts 92, 93 and 94 bended and extended at the front surface part 91.The side surface parts 92, 93 and 94 may include at least one of a firstside surface part 93 bended and extended at the front surface part 91, asecond side surface part 92 bended and extended from at the frontsurface part 91 and located above the first side surface part 93, and athird side surface part 94 bended and extended at the front surface part91 and located at the lower side of the first side surface part 93.

The second side surface part 92 may be positioned parallel with theservice panel 100, and the first side surface part 93 or the third sidesurface part 94 may be positioned parallel with the left side panel 14or the right side panel 15.

The second electric panel 90 may further include a rear surface part 95that is bent and extends at the first, second and third side surfaceparts 92, 93 and 94. The rear surface part 95 may be positioned parallelwith the front panel 11, the rear panel 12, or the front surface part91.

The first, second, and third side surface parts 92, 93 and 94 may bespaced apart from each other in an upward and downward directionrelative to the ground or base 17. For example, the upward and downwarddirection is a direction which is directed from the base 17 toward theupper surface panel 13 or a direction which is directed from the uppersurface panel 13 toward the base 17.

The first, second, and third side surface parts 92, 93 and 94 may bespaced apart from each other in an order of the second side surface part92, the first side surface part 93 and the third side surface part 94from an upper side toward a lower side.

The first, second, and third side surface parts 92, 93 and 94 may bespaced apart from each other in a left and right direction. For example,the left and right direction is a direction which is directed from theright side panel 15 toward the left side panel 14, or a direction whichis directed from the left side panel 14 toward the right side panel 15.

For example, among the first, second, and third side surface parts 92,93 and 94, the second side surface part 92 may be provided closest tothe right side panel 15, and the first side surface part 93 may beprovided closest to the left side panel 14, and the third side surfacepart 94 may be provided between the first and second side surface parts92 and 93 to be spaced apart therefrom. In other words, the first,second, and third side surface parts 92, 93 and 94, may be spaced apartfrom each other in an order of the second side surface part 92, thethird side surface part 94, and the first side surface part 93 from aright side toward a left side.

Space parts 98 and 99 may be formed in a space between the first,second, and third side surface parts 92, 93 and 94. For example, asshown in FIG. 10, a first space part 98 may be formed between the firstside surface part 93 and the second side surface part 92, and a secondspace part 99 may be formed between the first side surface part 93 andthe third side surface part 94.

A first cable 205 attached to the terminal block 200 may penetrate thefirst space part 98 and attach to the electric component. As a result,the length of the cable wire may be shortened and the friction of theair generated by the wire may be reduced. Also, because air may flowthrough the second space part 99, the flow path of the air may beensured.

The space part 98 may be referred to as an “opening part” of the frontpanel because it is formed to be opened vertically at a one portion ofthe front panel.

The main PCB 71 may be attached to a front surface of the front surfacepart 91. The reactor 79 may be attached to a rear surface of the frontsurface part 91. The main PCB 71 and the reactor 79 may be alternatelydisposed.

For example, the main PCB may be attached to an upper side of the frontsurface of the front surface part, and the reactor 79 may be attached toa lower side of the rear surface of the front surface part. In such aconfiguration, because the air guide 86 discharges the air close to therear surface of the front surface part 91 to the heat exchange chamber50, the reactor 79—which has a higher heat generation rate than a mainPCB 71—is located at the rear surface of the front surface part 91,which prevents heat generated from the reactor 79 from being transferredto the main PCB 71.

The display device 72 may be attached to a front surface of the sidesurface part 92. The noise filter 78 may be attached to a rear surfaceof the side surface part 92.

The display device 72 may be disposed toward the service panel 100. Morespecifically, the display device 72 may be disposed toward the servicewindow of the service panel 100 such that the display device 72 can bemonitored or viewed through the service window.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a display device of an air conditioneraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG.7, the display device 72 is provided on a circuit board and includes adisplay part 72A. The display part 72A displays information about anoperational status of the air conditioner. The display part 72A mayinclude, for example, a plurality of segments.

The circuit board may include a control part 72B. The control part 72Bmay include, for example, a plurality of switches.

The circuit board may include a communication part 72C. Through thecommunication part 72C, communication with an external device of theoutside unit may be enabled. The operator may receive information aboutthe operating status of the outside unit 10 by using the communicationpart 72C, and may upload a program or the like to the outside unit 10 byusing the communication part 72C.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a terminal block of the air conditioneraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 9 is a rearperspective view illustrating a state in which the terminal block of theair conditioner is attached to the electric panel according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectionalview illustrating a state in which the terminal block of the airconditioner is fasted to the electric panel according to an embodimentof the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10, a terminal block 200 may beattached to the front surface of the first side surface part 93. One endof a power cable or a signal cable which is connected from the outsideof the outside unit 10 to an inside thereof may be attached to theterminal block 200. The terminal block 200 may function to distributeelectric power or a signal to the each of the electric parts 70. Asshown, the power cable or the wire of the signal cable may pass throughthe first, second, and third side surface parts 92, 93, and 94, whichmay be spaced apart from each other, and may be connected to each of theelectric parts 70.

A fixing member 300 at which a part of the power cable or the signalcable is fixed may be attached to a front surface of the third sidesurface part 94.

The front surface part 91 may be referred to as a “connection part” inthe aspect of connecting the first side surface part 93, the second sidesurface part 92 and the third side surface part 94. The second sidesurface part 92 may be referred to as an “installation part” since theelectric component is installed therein. Since the first side surfacepart 93 supports the terminal block 200, it may be referred to as a“supporting surface”, and the third side surface part 94 may be referredto as a “fixing surface” since the fixing member 300 which is fixing thepower cable or the signal cable is located thereat.

The terminal block 200 may electrically connect the power cable andsignal cable, and connect the power and signal of the outside of theoutside unit to the electric part 70 of the inside of the outside unit.

The terminal block 200 may include a main body 210 and a terminal part230. One end of each of the power cable and the signal cable may beattached to the terminal part 230. There may be a plurality of terminalparts 230 so as to correspond to the number of the cables, and theplurality of terminal parts 230 may be arranged in parallel so as tocorrespond to each other.

For example, the terminal part 230 may be configured in two rows, andthe terminal part 230 may include a first terminal part 230A and thesecond terminal part 230B. The first terminal part 230A may be referredto as an output terminal in which the power and the signal istransmitted to the electric part 70, and the second terminal part 230Bmay be referred to as an input terminal in which the power and thesignal is inputted from the outside of the outside unit.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the power cable and thesignal cable are attached to the first terminal part 230A, attached tothe first cable 205 connected to the electric part 70 and the secondterminal part 230B, and may include a second cable 206 which istransferring the power and the signal of the outside to the firstterminal part 230A. The first cable 205 may be referred to as an outputcable and the second cable 206 may be referred to as an input cable.

The terminal part 230 may include the same number of second terminalparts 230B as that of the first terminal parts 230A. The first terminalpart 230A may be provided on one side of the main body, and the secondterminal part 230B may be provided on the other side of the main body.

As shown in FIG. 8, four first terminal parts 230A and four secondterminal parts 230B are provided in two rows. However, it is understoodthat the invention is not limited thereto and the numbers of the firstterminal parts 230A and second terminal parts 230B may vary depending onthe number of power and signals used in the outside unit.

The terminal part 230 may include a terminal 231 which is provided on anupper surface of the main body and electrically connected to one end ofthe cable, and an abutment member 232 which presses against the terminal231 and fixing the one end of the cable.

As shown, the terminal 231 and the abutment member 232 may be a screwpenetrating the plate and the plate. However, it is understood that theinvention is not limited thereto and any structure which connects oneend of the cable electrically and may fix the one end of the cable maybe applied.

The terminal block may include a partition wall 250. As shown, thepartition wall 250 may be provided at an upper surface of the main bodyand provided between each of the terminal parts 230 in order toelectrically separate the terminal part 230. For example, the partitionwall 250 may be extended to the side surface from the upper surface ofthe main body.

The terminal block 200 may include a cover part 270. As shown, the coverpart 270 may be attached to the upper surface of the main body 210 inorder to prevent the terminal part 230 from being exposed to the upperside. Therefore, the terminal part 230 and the partition wall 250 may beprovided between the main body 210 and the cover part 270, and a cablewhich is attached to the terminal part 230 may be extended to both sidesof the main body 210.

The terminal block 200 may include a fastening part 290 attaching theterminal block to the first side surface part 93. As shown, thefastening part 290 may include an opening which penetrates the main body210 and a fastening member which penetrates the opening. The terminalblock 200 may be attached to one surface of the first side surface part93 by the fastening part.

One surface of the terminal block 200 may be provided to face the uppersurface panel 13 and the other surface of the terminal block 200 may beprovided to face the base 17. For example, relative to the ground orbase 17, the first terminal part 230A may face upward and the secondterminal part 230B may face downward.

The first side surface part 93 and the second side surface part 92 maybe spaced part horizontally with a greater distance between them thanthe height of the main body 210 of the terminal block 200, and a cableconnected to the first terminal part 230A may pass through the firstspace part 98 provided between the first side surface part 93 and thesecond side surface part 92 and may be connected to the electric part70. That is, the first cable 205 attached to the first terminal part230A may pass through the first space part 98 and be attached to eachelectric part.

For example, the first cable 205 attached to the first terminal part230A may pass through the first space part 98 and may be connected tothe noise filter 78.

On the other hand, the first side surface part 93 and the third sidesurface part 94 may be spaced apart in a horizontal direction with adistance between them that is the same as the height of the main body210 of the terminal block 200. It is understood that the height is adistance from a lower surface of the terminal block 200, that is, thefirst side surface part 93 to the terminal part 230.

The second cable 206 connected to the second terminal part 230B may befixed by a fixing member 300 provided on one surface of the third sidesurface part 94. The fixing member 300 may be, for example, a clampingdevice.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a distance from the firstside surface part 93 to the second terminal part 230B may correspond toa distance from the first side surface part 93 to the second cable whichis fixed to the fixing member 300, and a distance from the first sidesurface part 93 to the second terminal part 230B or a distance from thefirst side surface part 93 to the second cable may be less than or equalto 1 cm.

According to this configuration, since the second cable 206 is fixed bythe fixing member 300, the second cable 206 may be attached to theterminal block without a break, and since the second cable 206 isdouble-fixed by the terminal block 200 and the fixing member 300, thesecond cable 206 may be prevented from being removed from the terminalblock 200.

The terminal part 230 and the fixing member 300 may be located on asingle virtual plane. According to this configuration, the first sidesurface part 93 and the third side surface part 94 may be disposed toface one direction. For example, the first side surface part 93 and thethird side surface part 94 may be extended in a parallel relationshipand the first side surface part 93 and the third side surface part 94may be disposed to face both sides of the case.

The fixing member 300 may be provided in the plural according to thenumber of the second cables 206.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the servicecover of the air conditioner is separated according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure, FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a state in whichthe service cover is attached to the service panel of the airconditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, andFIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a fastened structure ofthe service panel and the service cover of the air conditioner accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 11 through 13, the service panel 100 of the outsideunit 10 may include a body part 101 formed to be rounded to one sidefrom the front surface of the outside unit. As shown, the body part 101includes a first panel part 101A disposed to face the front and a secondpanel part 101B bent at the first panel part 101A, extended to one sideand disposed to face the one side part. According to a differentperspective, the first panel part 101A is a portion which is extended ina right and left direction, and the second panel part 101B is a portionwhich is bent at the first panel part 101A and extended in a front andrear direction.

Here, the front panel 11 and the first panel part 101A may be referredto as the “front surface part of the case” because they are disposedtoward the front of the case. The side surface panels 14 and 15 and thesecond panel part 101B may be referred to as the “side surface part ofthe case.” The upper surface panel 13 may be referred to as the “uppersurface part of the case.”

The service panel 100 may include an inspection window 110 which isformed through the body part 101. The inspection window 110 may includean opening penetrating the body part 101. The inspection window 110 maybe formed in a shape corresponding to a shape of the display device 72and may be disposed in a position corresponding to the display device72.

According to this configuration, because the display device 72 may beexposed to the outside through the inspection window 110, an installeror user only needs to open the service cover 150 which opens and closes(e.g., covers and uncovers) the inspection window 110 without separatingthe service panel 100 and may determine the state of the outside unit 10through the inspection window 110.

The inspection window 110 may be provided at the second panel part 101B.According to this configuration, even when it is difficult for theinstaller or user to work in front of the outside unit 10 due to spaceconstraints (for example, when the outside unit is disposed in a narrowspace such as a balcony or a wall surface of the building), the state ofthe outside unit can be determined through the inspection window 110provided at the second panel part 101B, and therefore making it moreconvenient for the user or operator.

As shown, the inspection window 110 is provided at the second panel part101B; however, the configuration is not limited thereto and theinspection window 110 be provided at either of the side surface panels14 and 15. That is, the inspection window 110 may be provided at theside surface part of the case.

The service panel 100 may further include a depression part 103 which isdepressed from the body part 101 to the inside direction of the outsideunit. The depression part 103 may be formed having a size correspondingto a service cover 150. In one example, the depression part 103 may beformed in the second panel part 101B.

In addition, the inspection window 110 may be formed through thedepression part 103. The inspection window 110 may be formed in thecenter of the depression part 103. That is, the depression part 103 maybe located in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction withthe inspection window 110 as the center. According to a differentperspective, the depression part 103 may be located at a corner portionof the inspection window 110.

The depth in which the depression part 103 is depressed the inside theoutside unit 10 may correspond to the thickness of the service cover150. For example, the depth of the depression of the depression part 103may be the same as the thickness of the service cover 150. In suchconfiguration, an external surface of the body part 101 and an externalsurface of the service cover 150 are positioned on the same plane. Theexternal surface refers to a surface formed in a direction opposite to adirection toward the inside of the inside unit.

The service panel 100 may include a ramp 102 extended from the body part101 to the depression part 103. The ramp 102 may connect the body part101 and the depression part 103 which are stepped to each other.

The service panel 100 may include a fastening part 120 formed throughthe depression part 103. The fastening part 120 may allow the servicecover 150 to be attached through a fastening member 170.

There may be more than one fastening part 120. When there is more thanone fastening part 120, the fastening parts 120 may be symmetricallyarranged relative to the inspection window 110. For example, one of thefastening parts 120 may be formed in a depression part 103 which islocated above the inspection window 110, and another of the fasteningparts 120 may be formed in a depression part 103 which is located belowthe inspection window 110.

The service panel 100 may further include a fastening reinforcement 121.The fastening reinforcement 121 may prevent the size of the fasteningpart 120 from being expanded and loosened by the fastening member 170.The fastening reinforcement 121 may extend from the fastening part 120to the inside of the outside unit.

The fastening part 120 and the fastening reinforcement 121 may beintegrally formed.

For example, the fastening part 120 may be formed by a punching process.That is, the fastening part 120 may be formed by punching the depressionpart 103, and the fastening reinforcement 121 may be formed byprocessing a burr formed on the rear of the depression part 103 by thepunching process.

The outside unit 10 may include a service cover 150. The service cover150 may be selectively attached to the depression part 103. The servicecover 150 may be used to selectively open and close the inspectionwindow 110.

The service cover 150 may include a body part 151 and an end part 153that is bent toward the service panel 100 from the body part 151.Therefore, the end part 153 may access inside the depression part 103.

The end part 153 may include an upper end 155 formed in an upper edge ofthe service cover 150, a front end 156 formed in a front edge of theservice cover 150, a rear end 157 formed in a rear edge of the servicecover 150, and a lower end 158 formed in a lower edge of the servicecover 150.

The front refers to a direction in which the outlet port 11A is formedin the outside unit 10, and the rear refers to an opposite direction ofthe front. The upper side refers to a direction toward the upper surfacepanel, and lower side refers to an opposite direction of the upper side.

The upper end 155 may be formed having a different inclination from onepoint. More specifically, the upper end 155 may include a first upperend 155A formed to be inclined to one side from a one point and a secondupper end 155B formed to be inclined to the other side from a one point.

The one point may be the center of the upper end 155. The center mayrefer to a point in which a distance from the front end 156 and adistance from the rear end 157 are equivalent.

For example, the first upper end 155A may have a slope that is inclineddownward while progressing toward the front from the center. On theother hand, the second upper end 155B may have a slope that is inclineddownward while progressing toward the rear from the center.

In addition, the first upper end 155A and the second upper end 155B maybe formed to be symmetrical between the front and rear relative to thecenter of the service cover. According to this configuration, waterflowing down from the external surface of the service panel 100 to theservice cover 150 may be divided into the first upper end 155A and thesecond upper end 155B, and water flowing in the first supper end 155Amay flow to the front end 156, and water flowing in the second upper end1558 may flow to the rear end 157.

The first upper end 155A and the second upper end 155B allow water inthe upper end 155 to be discharged without stagnating in the upper end155. The first upper end 155A and the second upper end 155B may alsoprevent the water in the upper end from penetrating between the servicecover 150 and the depression part 103.

The service cover 150 may include a penetration part 152 which is formedthrough the body part 151. A fastening member 170 may penetrate thepenetration part 152 to fasten the service cover 150 to the servicepanel 100.

More than one penetration part 152 may be formed such that the number ofpenetration parts 152 correspond to the number of fastening parts 120.For example, when the fastening part 120 is formed up and down relativeto the inspection window 110, the penetration part 152 may also beformed up and down so as to correspond to the fastening part 120.

The service cover 150 may include a penetration reinforcement 159 thatextends from the penetration part 152 to a side of the service panel100.

The penetration reinforcement 159 and the fastening reinforcement 121are functionally identical, but they are provided at different locationsrelative to the penetration part 152.

The outside unit 10 may include an insulation 160 to prevent moisturefrom absorbing on the inspection window 110. The insulation 160 may beprovided between the service panel 100 and the service cover 150 and/ormay be provided between the service panel 100 and the inspection window110.

Thus, for example, the insulation 160 may prevent external water of theservice panel 100 from penetrating onto the inspection window when onesurface of the insulation 160 is in contact with the inner surface ofthe service cover 150 and the other surface thereof is in contact withthe external surface of the service panel 100. The insulation 160 may bereferred to as a “waterproof member” or a “seal” which prevents waterfrom penetrating onto the inspection window.

It is understood that the insulation 160 may comprise any one of asponge, rubber, or plastic material. More particularly, for example, theinsulation 160 may comprise a hygroscopic material or a porous material.

The outside unit 10 may include a fastening member 170 to attach theservice cover 150 to the service panel 100. As shown, the fasteningmember 170 may penetrate the penetration part 152 and be attached to thefastening part 120. More than one fastening member 170 may be providedsuch that the number of fastening members 170 correspond to the numberof penetration parts 152 or the number of fastening parts 120.

The outside unit may include a washer 180. As shown, the washer 180 maybe disposed at the head of the fastening member 170 and the externalsurface of the service cover 150 so as to prevent the fastening member170 from loosening due to vibration. The washer 180 may also preventwater from penetrating into the outside unit 10 through the penetrationpart 152. Accordingly, the washer 180 may be referred to as a“waterproof member” or “seal.”

The insulation 160 and the washer 180 thus prevent water frompenetrating into the inside of the outside unit.

As provided above, the present disclosure provides many advantages overconventional methods and structures. For example, the present disclosuremakes it easier for an installer or user to determine informationdisplayed on a display device of an outside unit because the displaydevice may be provided at a side surface part of the outside unit.

In addition, the present disclosure makes it is easier for an installeror user to determine the operation state of the outside unit through theinspection window by separating only the service cover and not theentire panel of the outside unit because an inspection window may beprovided at the outside unit, the display device may be disposed insideof the inspection window, and a service cover may be provided at theinspection window.

In addition, the present disclosure prevents moisture from penetratinginside of the electric part because the service cover may includeinsulation.

In addition, the present disclosure may prevent a short circuit ordisconnection of the cable because a plurality of cables may be attachedto the terminal block in a configuration such that the cables are nottangled or intertwined.

In addition, the present disclosure may prevent the cable from bendingor twisting because the cable attached to the terminal block may beguided by a fixing member. Thus, the cable may be disposed in theoutside unit in a stretched state.

In addition, the present disclosure may prevent the cable from beingseparated from the terminal block because the cable attached to theterminal block may be guided by the fixing member.

In addition, the present disclosure may prevent the cable from beingattached in a bent state because the fixing member may be disposed tocorrespond to a terminal part of the terminal block.

In addition, the present disclosure may allow for wiring to be moreeasily performed because the wiring may be provided in a space which isspaced apart from an electric panel in which an electric component isattached.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. An outside unit of an air conditioner comprising:an electric part comprising a display device; and a case comprising: aheat exchange chamber provided at a side of the electric part and inwhich a heat exchanger is provided, a front surface part having anoutlet port, a side surface part provided at both sides of the frontsurface part, and an upper surface part provided at an upper side of thefront surface part, wherein the side surface part comprises: aninspection window having an opening to provide access to the displaydevice, and a service cover attached to the inspection window toselectively cover the display device.
 2. The outside unit of claim 1,wherein the front surface part comprises: a front panel at which theoutlet port is provided; and a first panel part attached to a side ofthe front panel to shield a front side of the electric part.
 3. Theoutside unit of claim 2, wherein the side surface part comprises: asecond panel part bent from the first panel part and extending in arearward direction to shield a side of the electric part; and a sidepanel attached to a side of the second panel part.
 4. The outside unitof claim 1, wherein the display device comprises: a circuit board havinga control part and a communication part installed thereon; and a displaypart installed on the circuit board, whereby the display part isconfigured to display information about an operational status of the airconditioner.
 5. The outside unit of claim 4, wherein the display part isdisposed to face the side surface part.
 6. The outside unit of claim 4,wherein the control part and the communication part are each disposed toface the side surface part.
 7. The outside unit of claim 2, wherein theelectric part comprises a plate having an electric component and thedisplay device installed thereon, whereby the plate is disposed to facethe side surface part.
 8. The outside unit of claim 1, wherein the sidesurface part comprises a depression part that forms a corner portion ofthe inspection window and is attached to the service cover.
 9. Theoutside unit of claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the service coverextends obliquely in a downward direction, and wherein the service covercomprises: a first upper end having a downward incline relative to afirst direction from an upper end of the service cover, and a secondupper end having a downward incline relative to a second direction fromthe upper end of the service cover.
 10. The outside unit of claim 8,further comprising an insulation provided at a rear surface of theservice cover to prevent water from penetrating inside the case.
 11. Anoutside unit of an air conditioner comprising: a case having an electricchamber in which an electric part in provided and a heat exchangechamber in which a heat exchanger is provided, wherein the electric partcomprises: an electric panel at which an electric component is provided,a terminal block provided at one side of the electric panel, theterminal block comprising a first terminal part and a second terminalpart, a first cable connected to the first terminal part and providingpower or a signal to the electric component, a second cable extendedfrom outside of the outside unit and connected to the second terminalpart, and a fixing member that is spaced apart from the terminal blockand supports the second cable, and wherein the electric panel comprises:an installation part at which the electric component is provided, and anopening part provided at a side of the installation part and attached tothe terminal block.
 12. The outside unit of claim 11, wherein theelectric panel comprises a supporting surface at which the terminalblock is supported, and wherein the opening part is formed at an upperside of the supporting surface.
 13. The outside unit of claim 12,wherein: the installation part is provided at an upper side of theopening part, the supporting surface is provided at a lower side of theopening part, and the first cable is extended from the terminal blockand through the opening part to the electric component.
 14. The outsideunit of claim 12, wherein the electric panel comprises a connection partthat extends in a direction which intersects with the installation partand in which another electric component is installed, and wherein thesupporting surface is attached to the connection part.
 15. The outsideunit of claim 12, wherein a lower portion of the installation part formsan upper end of the opening part and an upper portion of the supportsurface forms a lower end of the opening part.
 16. The outside unit ofclaim 12, wherein the electric panel comprises a fixing surface at whichthe fixing member is provided, whereby the fixing surface is located ata lower side of the supporting surface.
 17. The outside unit of claim16, wherein the supporting surface and the fixing surface are disposedto face a same direction.
 18. The outside unit of claim 17, wherein thesupporting surface and the fixing surface are extended in parallel toeach other.
 19. The outside unit of claim 17, wherein the case comprisesa front surface part, a side surface part, and a rear surface part,wherein the supporting surface and the fixing surface each are disposedto face the side surface part.
 20. The outside unit of claim 12, whereina distance from the supporting surface to the second terminal partcorresponds to a distance from the supporting surface to the secondcable which is fixed to the fixing member.